John Scarffe, Gilpin County. The Gilpin County School District hosted the Senior Scholarship Awards Ceremony in the school auditorium on May 12, 2021. Scholarship recipients and their plans are listed below this article.

Counselor Kim Cobb introduced the ceremony and thanked everyone for coming. She said the Class of 2021 has a 100 percent graduation rate. The class had a lot of struggles but have made it together. 

High School Principal Alexis Donaldson introduced the honor roll for awards that do not have any money attached but mean a lot. Mary McGee introduced the Mountain Rendezvous Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) award for the 2021 Good Citizen’s scholarship. Applicants for the scholarship must write a two-hour essay without Google or the internet.

Donaldson and Cobb introduced the 24 recipients of the $6,000 City of Black Hawk Scholarship. Ryan and Hannah Raynes presented the Gilpin County Theatre Art Scholarship and said this is the fourth annual integrated annual scholarship, which requires three years of technical acting and an essay on how it impacted their lives.

Cobb presented the Teryx Scholarship for $1,000 with the statement: “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.” Michelle Hernandez presented the Gilpin Booster Club Scholarships of $500 each, one for academics and two for athletics.

Barbara Thielemann presented the Peak to Peak Rotary Scholarship. This is the 21st year of the scholarship. She also presented the Thielemann Family Teacher Scholarship. 

Thielemann said she was a teacher in Ohio for 39 years and has worked as a substitute in Gilpin County. This scholarship is in honor of her children and grandchildren.

Central City Mayor Pro-Tem Judy Laratta presented the Central City Promise Program scholarship to one recipient. The Gilpin County Education Foundation scholarship was awarded to four students this year. It has provided more than 25 years of support for students from fifth grade to technology in the classroom. 

Gilpin County Sheriff Kevin Armstrong presented the County Sheriffs of Colorado Scholarship. He said this is the first one of these awards, and $500 awards have been given to 64 counties, and training is very important. 

Armstrong also presented the Alan Green Memorial Foundation Scholarship. Alan Green attended Colorado State University and was a wildlife manager. On May 25, 1979, he was killed in an airplane accident. 

Green valued education. In 1984, The Foundation was established and has given more than $1 million in scholarships. Applicants can go to a four-year or two-year school. 

The seniors then had the capping ceremony, for which each senior came to the podium and chose someone to place their graduation cap on their head. The seniors chose mothers, fathers and brothers for the capping. 

Principal Donaldson closed the ceremony with a slide show about all of the accomplishments of the Class of 2021.

Awards & Scholarships

Rayvaughn Amaya-Beard        

Scholarships: City of Black Hawk $6000

He will be joining the workforce and plans on attending North Texas Community College in the future to study Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement

Jasmine Arends

Scholarships: City of Black Hawk $6000

Gilpin Athletic Boosters $500

Teryx Scholarship $1000

Peak to Peak Rotary $1000

Alan Green Memorial $2500

Regis University Scholarship $40,000

Total: $51,000        

Attending: Regis University

Major: Nursing

Olivia Ball 

Scholarships: City of Black Hawk $6000

Gilpin Athletic Boosters  $500

Total: $6500

Attending: Red Rocks Community College and has interest in pursuing the field of Sports Medicine.

Blake Boulter

Scholarships: City of Black Hawk $6000

Alan Green Memorial $2,500

City of Central Promise Scholarship $5,000

Colorado School of Mines Presidential Scholarship $10,000

Mines Medal of Achievement in Math and Science $1,000

Daniels Fund Scholar $100,000

Total $124,500         

Attending: Colorado School of Mines

Major: Chemical Engineering

Tristin Braning

Scholarships: City of Black Hawk $6000       

Thielemann Family Educator Scholarship  $1000

CU Denver Scholarships $10,000   Total $17,000

Tristin will continue to work at doggy day care and will be attending CU Denver in the fall.

Major:  English to become a teacher

Robert Castillo

Scholarships: City of Black Hawk $6000

Will take a gap year and join the workforce, then plans on attending community college to study         

criminal justice 

Julian Cortez

Scholarships: City of Black Hawk $6000

He will be taking a gap year and working with his dad.

Triston DiPasquale

Scholarship: City of Black Hawk $6000

Plan:  Plans on starting a business in wholesale real estate

Emma Hanssen 

Scholarships: City of Black Hawk $6000

Attending: Ft. Lewis College

Major:  Business

Warren Hardman

Scholarships: City of Black Hawk $6000

Gilpin Theatre Scholarship $500

 AMDA $6000

Total: $12,500

Attending:  American Musical Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles                                                              

Major:  Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting 

Noah Hockley

Scholarship: City of Black Hawk $6000

He is currently in the workforce and has an interest in health and wellness, and becoming a personal trainer.

Drake Hylton

Scholarships: City of Black Hawk $6000

Drake plans on attending CU Boulder and majoring in Aerospace Engineering

Stephen King

Scholarships: City of Black Hawk $6000

Alan Green Memorial Foundation $2500

Gilpin County Education Foundation  $1000

School of Mines President’s Scholarship $12,000

Colorado Scholars Scholarship for Last $ tuition $76,248

 Total: $97,748

Overall Total of Scholarships the next 4 Years:  $463,048

Attending: Colorado School of Mines

Major: Chemical Engineering

Samuel Kniffen

Scholarships: City of Black Hawk $6000

Sam plans on taking a gap year during which he will pursue his dream of writing and recording original music.  

Dallas LeBeau 

Scholarships: City of Black Hawk $6000

He plans on taking a gap year to work and figure out his next chapter in life.

Nolan Lindberg

Scholarships: City of Black Hawk $6000

Booster’s Academic $500

United Power Scholarship $1000

County Sheriffs of Colorado $500

Gilpin County Education Foundation $1000

 CU Boulder Scholarship $11,200

Total:  $20,200

Attending: CU Boulder

Major: Biochemistry

Ryan Newberg

Scholarships: City of Black Hawk $6000

Plans on taking a gap year to travel in the U.S.

Archer O’Brien

Scholarships: City of Black Hawk $6000

TeamWorks Scholarship $1000

Total: $7000

Archer plans on working at TeamWorks and pursuing opportunities to work in technical theatre

Jon Rust 

Scholarships: City of Black Hawk $6000

Plans on joining the workforce and would like to play baseball.

Jaden Schott 

Scholarships: City of Black Hawk $6000

Plans on taking a gap year,  joining the workforce, and continue to work on writing his book, Winter’s Tears.

Damian Sonsino

Scholarships:  City of Black Hawk $6000

DAR Scholarship $600

Outstanding CO Student $4000

Regent Scholarship $1000

CU Esteemed Scholars $14,000

Gilpin County Education Foundation $1000

Total: $26,600

Attending:  CU Boulder

Major:  Biochemistry 

Katelyn Stanton

Scholarships: City of Black Hawk $6000

Will be taking a Gap Year, then attending community college to major in business or nursing  

 Casey Usnick

Scholarship: City of Black Hawk  $6000

Casey will join the workforce and attend welding school.

Shane Wu 

Scholarships: City of Black Hawk $6000

CU Boulder Esteemed Scholar $10,000

Total: $16,000

Overall Total of Scholarships the next 4 Years:  $386,800

Attending:  CU Boulder

Major:  Undecided

(Originally published in the May 20, 2021, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)